Dogs may be man’s best friend but some people are very particular about who they choose to be friends with, and a recent study showed which dog breeds are the most popular by state.
The American Veterinary Medical Association reported that nearly half of households in the United States owned dogs in 2024. The association also estimated that there were about 89.7 million dogs in the U.S. and households with dogs spent an average of $580 per year.
A recent update to U.S. News &World Report article showed which dogs were the most popular, using data from a third-party pet insurance industry partner.
The report analyzed over 1.2 million data points between 2022 and 2025 and broke down the pet breeds in each state.
What is the most popular dog breed in California?
The most popular dog breed in the Golden State was the French Bulldog. The Chihuahua and the Chihuahua-mix came in at No.2 and No.3, respectively.
Floridians and Californians can find some common ground in their love of Frenchies, as the former was the only other state in which the pet was the top breed. The dogs did make the top three of other states such as Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.
What is the most popular dog breed in the U.S.?
While Californians favored small dogs, the overall pick for the country was a large dog, the Labrador Retriever.
Here are the top 10 dogs in the U.S.:
No. 1- Labrador Retriever
No. 4- American Pit Bull Terrier
What is the most popular dog name in California?
A separate May 1 U.S. News report took the most common or popular dog names nationwide and broke them down by state.
The top dog names for the state of California were Luna at No.1, Bella at No. 2, and Coco at No. 3. Luna was the top name in at least 10 other states, including Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
The study also listed the top 100 names in the country. Bella was the most common dog name in over 20 states.
What are the top 10 dog names in the U.S.?
Graphic on the most popular dog names based on US. state.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Most popular dog breeds and names in California